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Even the NRA scoffs at the theory that the Obama administration is creating a shortage of bullets
Pat Cunningham
Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma (above) is perhaps best known for his global-warming denialism, but his foolishness extends to other matters as well.
Consider, for example, THIS STORY:
Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation aimed at combating a threat to gun rights that even the National Rifle Association has described as pure fiction.
A bill introduced late last week by Sen. James Inhofe and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) would ban federal agencies, excluding the Pentagon, from buying more ammunition during a six-month period if it currently possesses more than its monthly averages during the Bush administration.
The conspiracy theory ...


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Late this week, Canadian Bitcoin holders filed a class-action suit against defunct online Bitcoin exchange MtGox. The suit named MtGox, its affiliates, and its two major shareholders, Mark Karpeles and Jed McCaleb, as well as Japan's second largest bank, Mizuho Bank, where MtGox kept an account.
In the US, a class-action suit that was filed in late February was amended late Friday afternoon to name another primary plaintiff as well as several new defendants, including "John Doe defendants" and Mizuho Bank. MtGox KK filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in February, shielding it from lawsuits in the US, but MtGox's executives, its parent company Tibanne KK, and its US subsidiaries are not protected, Reuters notes.
MtGox found itself in dire straits last month, when it appeared to have lost 750,000 bitcoins belonging to its customers as well as 100,000 of its own Bitcoins after weeks of DDOS attacks and "transaction malleability" problems. In total, MtGox is estimated to have lost $468 million worth of bitcoins. In mid-February, the exchange halted all withdrawals, and plaintiffs in both Canadian and US cases suspect large-scale fraud.
Hoodwinked in Canada
The proposal for the class-action suit in Canada names four plaintiffs who are demanding $500 million from the defunct company, its affiliates, and its shareholders on behalf of "all persons in Canada who paid a fee to Mt. Gox to buy, sell, or otherwise trade bitcoins." The class will also include "all persons in Canada who had bitcoins or fiat currency stored with Mt. Gox on February 7, 2014." The complaint accuses MtGox (which originally stood for "Magic the Gathering Online Exchange") of negligence, breach of contract, breach of trust and/or fiduciary duty, fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation, conversion, and unjust enrichment.
The filing gives no estimate of how many Canadians may have lost bitcoins in MtGox's fall, but it does briefly describe the four plaintiffs, who are each owed some combination of bitcoins, US dollars, and Canadian dollars.
As defendants, the complaint names MtGox Inc, Mt. Gox North America Inc., Mt. Gox KK, and Tibanne KK. Tibanne is the parent company of Mt. Gox KK, and Mt. Gox KK is the parent of MtGox Inc and Mt. Gox North America Inc. The complaint also names Mark Karpeles, who is the CEO and the sole shareholder of all of the companies except for Mt. Gox KK, of which he owns 88 percent. Jeb McCaleb holds 12 percent of the rest of Mt. Gox KK's shares, and he is also named in the complaint.
Finally, Mizuho Bank is also named as a defendant. The complaint states its inclusion is because "All non-bitcoin currency received by the Mt. Gox Defendants from its users was held in an account or accounts with Mizuho Bank Ltd.
"Conspiracy spearheaded by Mt. Gox's top executives"
In the United States, the class-action suit that was filed in late February (Gregory Greene v. Mt. Gox Inc et al ) was amended to include a number of other defendants, including MtGox Chief Marketing Officer Gonzague Gay-Bouchery and John Doe firms that "upon information and belief, knowingly rendered professional services to Mt. Gox Defendants in furtherance of the fraud alleged in this Complaint." The filing also named one new plaintiff, Joseph Lack. Lack claims to have lost $40,000 through MtGox.
Friday's amended complaint takes a much stronger tone in alleging fraud perpetrated by MtGox executives than it had before.
"Rather than safeguard users' property, Mt. Gox—aided and abetted by Mizuho and John Doe Defendants—devised a scheme whereby they stole the money and bitcoins of its users, claimed that the property had been lost due to security flaws, and then sought bankruptcy protection so as to buy time for it to hide and transfer the stolen bitcoins and money," the complaint reads.
Specifically, the plaintiffs allege that MtGox was still taking customers' money and assuring them that it would be operationally strong as late as February 23 and 24, well after it had stopped allowing withdrawals from its accounts, and only four days before the exchange filed for bankruptcy.
A leaked conversation between a Mizuho Bank representative and Karpeles that the Wall Street Journal published last week also made its way into the plaintiffs' allegations. In the conversation, the bank representative urged Karpeles to close his account with Mizuho, but Karpeles resisted.
"Mizuho knew of irregularities and serial complaints regarding Mt. Gox and eventually, long after it had profited from its illicit partnership, asked Mr. Karpeles to close his accounts with Mizuho voluntarily at some unspecified point in the future," the plaintiffs allege.
Finally, the complaint said that there had been some proof that small amounts of Bitcoin reported to belong to MtGox were being transferred either to new accounts or to accounts held by MtGox executives.
On March 7, 2014, reports began surfacing that 180,000 bitcoins believed to be associated with Mt. Gox (worth approximately $113 million dollars) were being moved through the "Block Chain" (the public ledger that records all Bitcoin transactions) and broken down into different accounts in preparation for mixing or tumbling them to avoid detection. Upon information and belief, some of these bitcoins have been transferred into active accounts associated with Mt. Gox Defendants.
Further upon information and belief, Mt. Gox Defendants have already hidden and/or transferred funds associated with Mt. Gox, and continue to do so, during the pendency of its bankruptcy proceedings.
The suit will proceed in a Chicago federal court.

subset: commoncrawl


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Zac Efron
Destiny (Expression) Number 3
" I'm a guy, but I'm not afraid to cry. Not all of the time. But when I'm watching a movie, I'll sometimes shed a tear, especially 'Moulin Rouge'."
Zac Efron is an American actor, singer, and producer, best known for his leading role in the High School Musical franchise (2006–08), starring as Link Larkin in the musical film Hairspray (2007) and as the teen Mike O'Donnell in the comedy film 17 Again (2009).
He was born on Sunday October 18th 1987, in San Luis Obispo, California, United States.
Zac Efron is optimistic, inspiring, outgoing, and expressive. People see him as cheerful, positive and charming; his personality has a certain bounce and verve that so powerfully affects others that Zac can inspire people without effort.
All of this upward energy is a symptom of Zac Efron's tremendous creativity. His verbal skills may well lead him into the fields of writing, comedy, theater, and music.
Three is the number of self-expression - rich in imagination and spirit. But Zac has to be careful not to scatter his talents. His bane is that he often lacks discipline and order in his life. Zac Efron should avoid becoming a "happy-go-lucky" spendthrift, escaping responsibility and commitment. He must learn to concentrate and focus.
These are the keys to Zac's success. Zac Efron has great potential in the arts and areas that requires creative solutions to problems. He is able to perform leaps of imagination, providing unconventional ideas as if they suddenly descended from above. Hard work and focus, however, are the foundation for a successful future.
Though Zac possesses great verbal skills, his mind tends to see life as pictures rather than in words. Yet, Zac Efron has the ability to think abstractly.
Creativity is a sensitive faculty that is often suppressed in childhood. If Efron lacks the confidence to pursue his ideas, he may divert his abilities into a scattering of trivial pursuits.
To overcome this problem, Zac Efron must make a choice. He has to limit his field of vision and the number of activities he is engaged in, and bundle his energies into a single thrust. Zac must focus his life, and choose the area that he loves the most, and commit. There, Efron will find success. And a great deal of happiness.
Love, romance, and money are within Zac Efron's reach. He is aided by his friends and admirers. Often people appear out of nowhere to help him in key situations. Zac has to learn to accept the involvement of others in his life. He is not a loner, nor is he particularly independent. Zac Efron is social - he needs an audience and the support of others to fully realize his abilities.
On the down-side, Zac can be superficial, moody, and intolerant. He is emotional and sensitive, sometimes presuming criticism where none was intended. Efron can also be jealous and gossipy. He needs to beware of becoming cynical and sarcastic. These traits can suppress his natural creativity.
Zac must be goal-oriented. This is a practical, step-by-step approach to his larger ambitions. If so, Zac Efron possesses the natural abilities to attain a high degree of excellence.
You and Zac
About Zac's Destiny (Expression) number
The Destiny number reveals the talents, abilities, and shortcomings that were with Zac Efron when he entered his human body. His name, and the numbers derived from it, reveals Zac's development, as well as the talents and issues he will be working with during this life.
Read more about our interpretation of Zac Efron's destiny (expression)


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Rick Heltebrake tells Anderson Cooper what happened when fugitive Christopher Dorner took his car at gunpoint on Tuesday.
Heltebrake first noticed a man in the trees with a gun before he realized it was Dorner. "I saw a vehicle crashed in the snow behind him, and he came up to the window of my truck, my driver window, with his gun pointed at me and he said, 'I don't want to hurt you. Just get out, start walking and take your dog," he recounts.
It was apparent to Heltebrake that he was not Dorner's intended target. The wanted former LAPD officer just needed the car. "He looked calm...business like almost."
After a few seconds, Heltebrake says he heard the gunfire exchanged between Dorner and law enforcement. He called the Sheriff's deputy and reported what happened before continuing on to remove himself from the area.
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: Crime
Generally, if a house is on fire the ppl inside would go out...exit house. Instead, Dorner made the choice to remain inside as the house/cabin burned to the ground. It is what it is, except that Dorner was a killer. The police followed policy to protect it's citizens.
If in fact the LAPD order the cabin to be burned down, to kill Mr. Dorner is that consider to be murder ? and will charges be brought against LAPD.?
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


text: Well,,,Gail and I did our first night cache last night, and I must say it was awesome!!! It was called Telltale Heart,( GCYY49), placed by Zoltarus. We met up with Dave1976, Girlmate, Mainiac1957, Parmachenee and his better half, Sharon(SP??). It was a Dark night, a little moon showing, perfect for a spooky type cache. The walk in was really neat, you may want to do this with a group, and bring good flashlights. We saw a couple of deer on the walk in. Zoltarus obviously put some time and effort into this cache, and it is a perfect Halloween cache. This would be excellent for kids(not too young), and adults also. The trail gets a little spongey in places, especially with all the rain we have had, so boots might be appropriate. Follow the cache trail instructions and you will have no problem. Thanks to Zoltarus for this unique cache!! Good Job!! Of course the Pizza at Pat"s Pizza in Orono(not too far away) is always a topper after the cache. We highly suggest doing this cache if you want something out of the norm., and before the snow hits. Happy Caching to everyone,,,"Dave and Gail"


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Home » Electroacoustic/Contemporary » FELDMAN, MORTON: The Viola in My Life
FELDMAN, MORTON: The Viola in My Life
Reissue of the much missed CRI CD. The title track is a 29 minute piece for viola and small ensemble, conducted by Feldman himself: endlessly suspended and endlessly listenable - it could go on forever; cleanly articulated, always concentrated, in constant motion but without a goal; just rich in its going. There are longeurs that sink into silence, and there is great, and unfamiliar, use of blurry, quiet percussion. It is a work that transfigures time into pure qualia. If you are not familiar with Feldman, this, or Rothko Chapel, would be a good place to start. There are two other pieces on the CD, inhabiting the same timeless zone, 'Why Patterns', with Feldman himself at the piano, and 'False relationships and the extended ending.' For flute, percussion and piano.
Code: NW80657-2
Price: £14.50


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A stool (feces) sample can provide doctors with valuable information about what's going on when your child has a problem in the stomach, intestines, rectum, or other part of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. One of the most common reasons to collect a sample is to determine if there's blood in the stool.
Sometimes harmful bacteria or parasites can cause a variety of conditions, such as bloody diarrhea. It may be necessary to examine the stool under a microscope and perform other tests to find the cause of the problem.
To test the stool for the presence of blood, a noninvasive test called the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is performed. The test detects hidden (occult) blood in the stool — blood that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Blood may come from any part of the digestive tract, from the esophagus to the anal area. Sometimes, blood detected in the stool can come from swallowed blood if the child has had bleeding from the mouth, throat or nose.
A doctor may request a fecal occult blood test to look for blood that's present due to causes such as:
Unlike most other lab tests, a stool sample is often collected by parents at home, not by health care professionals at a hospital or clinic.
For a week before the test, your child may be asked to avoid certain foods and medications such as:
The doctor or hospital laboratory will usually provide written instructions on how to collect a stool sample.
If instructions aren't provided, here are tips for collecting a stool sample from your child:
When the sample arrives at the laboratory, it's checked for blood by placing a smear of the stool on special paper. A chemical solution called guiac is then placed on the paper with the stool smear. If the paper turns blue, this means there's blood in the stool.
In general, the result of the fecal occult blood test is reported within a day.
No risks are associated with collecting stool samples.
Collecting a stool sample is painless. Tell your child that collecting the stool won't hurt, but it has to be done carefully. A child who is old enough might be able to collect the sample alone to avoid embarrassment. Instruct your child how to do this properly.
If you have questions about the fecal occult blood test, speak with your doctor.


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Retail Sales Associate Key
Location: Etobicoke, Ontario CA
Job Number: 16292
Position Title: Sales Associate Key
External Description:
At Talbots, we help our customers look and feel their best. The Talbots Sales Associate Key Holder (SAKH) creates exceptional customer experiences and enables others on the team to build enduring relationships with our customers. The SAKH is responsible for driving the business forward specifically as it relates to operational activities and store systems. As needed, the SAKH has responsibility for leading/supervising others on occasion and opening the store for business and/or closing the store for the night.
- Is customer-centric and understands the importance of creating exceptional customer experiences.
- Ambitious and enthusiastic in creating an environment for both the store and team to succeed. Thrives working in a team environment.
- Expeditious in ability to take initiative with limited direction.
- Demonstrates excellent communication skills and a high level of integrity.
- Has strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task in a fast paced, ever- changing environment.
- Professional, assertive and friendly with the ability to make decisions independently.
- Must understand and follow all policies and procedures to successfully open and close a store.
- Extremely dependable and punctual.
- Creating the Customer Experience:
- Capable of creating a selling culture where all associates align around the needs of our customers.
- Willing to assist customers and support selling energy as needed to create an exceptional customer experience.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships that support a productive work environment.
- Proactively communicate store information, brand initiatives, discrepancies and other pertinent information to management in order to better enhance the customer experience.
- Professionally represent the Talbots brand image.
- Support all areas of operational excellence.
- Ensure merchandise is well organized in the back room and replenished on the sales floor according to visual guidelines. Assist with store sets, window displays, signage, visual merchandising changes, markdowns, etc.
- Manage inventory according to policies and procedures including customer sends, recalls, re-tickets, MOS and damages, and other operational activities as assigned.
- Provide support on the sales floor and uphold Talbots HER standards when engaging or interacting with the customer. This includes replenishment/stocking duties, markdowns, fitting room duties, cash wrap/POS duties, etc.
- Reinforce brand standards and company policies and procedures in all areas of responsibility.
- Plan and prioritize tasks and responsibilities to meet the needs of the customer and business.
- Protect company assets and maintain a safe work environment.
- Follow all company policies and procedures as well as local, state, and federal employment laws.
- Minimum of six months of experience in retail sales or shipping/stockroom.
- Ability to work at least (20) hours per week.
- Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed performance standards.
- An essential function of the job is the ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- An essential function of the job is the ability to move about in a store including standing, walking, kneeling, stooping, climbing ladders, using stairs, carrying, bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with the body, arms, or legs, pulling and lifting objects up to 40 pounds. Sometimes these movements are made quickly and repeatedly.
- An essential function of the job is the ability to navigate computer/handheld systems with intermediate computer and keyboarding skills.
- Able to work cooperatively in a diverse work environment.
- High school degree required.
Community / Marketing Title: Retail Sales Associate Key
Company Profile:
Talbots is a leading omni-channel specialty retailer of women's clothing, shoes and accessories. Established in 1947, the company is known for modern classic style that's both timeless and timely, fine quality craftsmanship and gracious service. At Talbots relationships are the key to our business, we hire individuals who bring new ideas to the table, understand smart risk taking and can enhance an already thriving culture. With a commitment to offer modern classic style for every body type, through a full range of sizes, inclusive to every woman in your life.
EEO Employer Verbiage:
Talbots is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from diverse candidates. Hiring decisions are based upon a candidate's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration and are made without regard to race, sex, national origin, color, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion, or any other category protected by applicable law. Talbots is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for job applicants with disabilities. If you require an accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position you are seeking or to participate in the application process please contact email@example.com. Talbots will make reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified applicants or employees, unless such accommodations would impose an undue hardship on the operations of the Company's business.
PositionType_Description: Part Time
Location_formattedLocationLong: Etobicoke, Ontario CA


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For the latest updates to Global Public Square, including show information and Fareed's Take, visit the new GPS site on CNN.com.
Donald Trump will fix these immigrants particularly the illegal ones.
@Amy I would be happy if he would put those makakas on a boat to Bombay with a bucket full of curry.
Bucket of chicken tikka masala for me please. Extra hot till my black a ss burns.
What further baffles me is that millions of people have been and continue to be slaughtered in Indian Occupied Kashmir. A lot of them have been buried alive and rayped. Human rights outfits have provided coordinates of these unmarked graves to the Indian Government. How strange their compasses ceased functioning!!!
We are not the only ones from India creating immigrant problems. There are others like Mexicans.
These Indians are a disgrace to our great country. Mexicans are geniuses compared to these hindoos. At least they believe in Jesus.
There is a metal rod gang raipe every 2 seconds in India.
140 million girls have been gang raiped in India.
500 million males in India are classified as raipists.
For god's sake most of India is either a raipist or been raiped.
What further baffles me is that millions of people have been and continue to be murdered in Indian Occupied Kashmir. A lot of them have been buried alive and rayped. Human rights outfits have provided coordinates of these unmarked graves to the Indian Government. How strange their compasses ceased functioning!!!
I sure miss @Blue Saffron my hero my role model. He brought intellectualism to these comment boards. Kudos
Indeed. He is a person of immense intelligence.
Yes Chrissy, Blue Saffron is a legend. A personality of immense proportions.
@Ambika from Nepal::::The communist Soviets and their buddies India Hinddoos attacked and invaded Afghanistan and killed millions of people and millions were made homeless and refugees. Families devastated.
The whole country was destroyed. Mosques were bulldozed and Afghan women raiped.
After fierce fighting, Americans helped the Afghanis liberate their country and defeated Communist Soviets and their allies India. US provided military equipment support to defeat these communists.
These same hinddoos are now raiping Afghanistan again and stripping the country of its natural resources and minerals. Forests have been stripped and mined millions of acres of them. No compensation has been paid.
Moreover, them hinddoos are now smuggling drugs processed from poppy cultivation in Afghanistan to Europe and USA and making young kids in these countries drug addicts.
The Khmer Rouge trial and guilty verdict sends a loud and clear message to all those leaders who undertook genocides. Payback time.
It is time to stand up Modi of India and send him to The Hague to face trial of murders and genocides in Gujarat et al, India ..... committed against the minorities.
We shall never forget.
Khmer Rouge reminds one of BJP in India. Pol Pot of Modi. Both mass murderers.
Modi should be forcefully dragged to the The Hague to face trial.
Fareed is a CIA agent implanted at CNN to spread misinformation. He is a convicted plagiarist. He is from India. We are well aware of his pro Indian and Israeli leanings.
Terrorism, IEDs, self immolation and suicide belt technology was invented by Indian hinddoous in Sri Lanka. They trained Tamils as suicide bombers and terrorists. They were marketed as Tamil Tigers. The terrorism lasted 35 years. Hundreds of thousands were killed as a result. The hate towards India was so much in Sri Lanka that Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was slapped by a Sri Lankan soldier during an official visit. He was later blown up to smithereens by a hindoo suicide bomber in India.
Thank you @ Blue Saffron, Sir, for cleaning out this board and chasing out the riff raffs.
Why do hindus from India put oil in their hair and raype so much? Is it their DNA?
Hi. I am Chuck from Milwaukee and I am a B AST ARD
Why do hindus from India indulge in incest? Why? Because their cult hinduism says to do it? Why?
Kick these bums out of our lands on boats back to Calcutta. Or Bangalore. Or Bombay.
Modi was caught climbing the back of a cow trying to raipe her in New Delhi.
Cows are considered sacred in hindu India and this maybe the case of sacred seyx.
Holy Cow!!
Or Holy Raipe?
Heeeeee Hawwwwww
Ahh. Hello?
I'm a B AST ARD.
Hotdog! I'm a B AST ARD too.
I am Chuck. I was born in Pryor, Oklahoma.
I am most definitely a B AST ARD.
Hello all. I am running for mayor in my home town. And I am a B AST ARD.
Hi Blue Saffron you B AST ARD. Don't feel bad. My daddy is a B AST ARD too.
Gee..nothing but B AST ARDS posting today. Lol
From the ashes of India shall rise the emancipation of all cultures in India who have been subjugated for so long. Whose talents have been suppressed by India for centuries. Whose aspirations have been trampled by India's Hindus for ever. NO MORE ! We will tear down this wall of subjugation by Hindus . From the ashes of Hindu India shall rise the future of the minorities. From the shackles of poverty in India shall rise prosperity for all minorities under a new capitalism.
Modi was seen climbing a donkey to raipe it. Using a ladder.
Oh Dear. Why do hindus rhape sooo much.
Good evening one and all. I am B AST ARD.
I am a real true blue B AST ARD from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma .
Only a hindu rhapist from India would abuse a lady. Figures. Bless your heart ya smelly hindu rat.


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New OpenELEC-Generic r17981-gfc35917 Release Image
The Generic image is a "catch-all" build containing more drivers than any other image. As of OpenELEC version 4.0, a number of of other builds are now being rolled into the Generic image. The Generic build will now be used for most devices (Fusion, Ion, Intel, Generic). If you have a device that is not covered by the other images (ATV, RPi, Virtual, etc…) or you are going to install OpenELEC onto a laptop or desktop computer this is probably the best image to use.
|Build Start Time:
|Thu Mar 20 22:40:13 GMT 2014
|Build End Time:
|Fri Mar 21 02:10:59 GMT 2014
|OpenELEC Branch:
|OpenELEC Release:
|OpenELEC GIT Version:
|XBMC Release:
|Gotham 13-a1cab7a
|Rate This Build:
|Please use your nearest download mirror to improve your download experience
|Download Release:
|OpenELEC-Generic.x86_64-devel-20140320231410-r17981-gfc35917.tar (149M) (md5)
Looking for other OpenELEC Generic image releases? Then browse our Generic image release archive for all current and archived releases.
Are you looking for other OpenELEC releases for different platforms (ATV, ION, Fusion, RPi, Virtual, etc…) then browse all our complete build arhive.
Change Log / Git Commit History since last build


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What is Hypnobabies?
Hypnobabies is a complete childbirth education course that also teaches Gerald Kein's famous Painless Childbirth techniques to Hypnobabies mothers so that they can enter hypnosis, deepen it themselves and remain mobile during labor, completely comfortable at all times. Our Hypno-babies have no drugs in their systems when they are born, and are able to nurse, breathe well and interact with their happy parents immediately. Our goal – Enjoy your babies birth, in comfort, joy and love! Fantastic!
We know that all change comes from within, and that hypnosis is a very powerful tool for creating new belief systems and powerful physical effects, so we simply help women and their partners learn to empower themselves in this wonderful way for their baby's birth. It works beautifully and is so successful that we are now offering Hypnobabies Classes across the USA, and our Hypnobabies Home Study Course.
If you want to chat with other moms using Hypnobabies come join our Hypnobabies Yahoo Group. (You must send an introduction to be approved).
Hypnobabies Videos
There is a nice collection of Hypnobabies Birth Videos at this site.
Is this for real? Hypnosis + no drugs = comfortable births
Yes. You can read over 200 birth stories from real Hypnobabies moms from the Yahoo Group at Pregnancy Birth and Babies. You can also read newer birth stories here. Just click on the birth story category and you will have a list of many to read. Enjoy!
A More Detailed Explanation
My name is Carole Thorpe. I have been active in the natural childbirth community for over 30 years. I assisted hundreds of women in childbirth long before we were known as doulas. I was a birth assistant to an MD/OB, who owned and operated a birthing center, and who also "caught" babies in couples homes.
I taught many hundreds of his patients preparation for natural childbirth classes. I taught them the anatomy and physiology of late pregnancy and the birthing process. I also taught them how to manage or cope with any discomfort during their birthings by using breathing techniques similar to those taught by both Bradley and Lamaze, and taught their birth partners to employ touch or verbal relaxation cues, and I taught moms how to create their own guided imagery scenarios to be read to them during their birthings in order to give them mental respite from their contractions, and how to use external focal points to distract moms and diminish any perceptions of discomfort.
I encouraged them to trust their bodies and their baby's journey through the birthing process. I personally assisted over 300 of those traditionally prepared women as they gave birth to their babies without drugs or interventions. I assisted women who were peaceful, physically relaxed and in control of their birthings, and who were empowered by the outcomes. I gave birth to four children this way myself. I'd venture to say that the majority of those who gave birth naturally this way, wouldn't say that they enjoyed their baby's birthing per se, or that it was physically pleasant. Maybe they were delighted that they achieved their goal of an unmedicated birth, and most of them were empowered by the fact that they endured, or that they managed or coped with the pain of childbirth. None of them said it was easy or comfortable, or that they enjoyed their babies' births so much that they'd like to do it again the very next day.
Today I hear my doula clients say such things as, "My birthing day was the most amazing day of my pregnancy, NO PAIN!…I would do it again tomorrow", (moments after giving birth to her first baby). One recent mom said, "THAT was IT? It was SO EASY…I so want one more!" (the instant her baby slipped out of her body and was brought up into her arms). And, I heard a high-risk OB say (with tears in his eyes), "In my 15 years of practice, I've never seen another woman give birth with such dignity, such grace and such control". In this case the doctor I am referring to, was speaking to a 19-year old single mom. He had just witnessed her birthing her baby into her own hands. She held her own bottom to control the speed with which her baby came through her perineum, pushed when it felt right, waited, just breathing and allowing her body to push her baby when that was enough, holding her own labia open with her fingers, and watching herself in the mirror as she squatted on the hospital bed. Her baby's head slid out, and the OB checked for a cord, and said, "It's all you Allison, let me know if I can be of any assistance", as she scooped her daughter up and into her own arms.
All of these incredible quotes are are in reference to the birthings of some of my recent doula clients. What makes for the difference between the experiences of the traditionally prepared couples I used to assist, and those whose incredible comments you read above? Simply put, it is the addition of post-hypnotic suggestions for releasing fears and creating hypno-anesthesia in the body, to a very thorough program of preparation for natural childbirth…Hypnobabies.
I am a DONA certified doula, a hypnotherapist, a lactation educator, and a childbirth hypnosis instructor. Over the past six years, I have taught the preparation for natural childbirth method called Hypnobabies "eyes-open" childbirth hypnosis. I have assisted at over 200 of my student's births as their hypno-doula. The 200 Hypnobabies births that I have attended have resulted in such statistics as, a 6 percent epidural rate, a 4 percent cesarean rate, no vacuum or forceps assisted births, an episiotomy rate of less than 5 percent, with only one non-emergency transfer from the home to hospital for ROM times 18 hours with no contractions. 97 percent of these births occurred in hospitals, the remaining 3 percent were midwife-assisted births in couples' homes or birth centers.
Some of the women who take my classes cannot have epidural anesthesia for one reason or another, such as VBAC, or scoliosis with corrective metal rods attached to their spines, or spina bifida, or a severe reaction to anesthesia during a prior birthing; reasons which make them a slightly higher risk for complications and interventions, not lower. And, yet, my couples statistics are amazing even to me. These statistics are not my opinion; they are actual tallies from the birth records I keep for each doula client and from the birth stories my students send me. These births all occurred within a 50-mile radius of my home in very conservative, highly litigious Orange County, California, where the hospitals average an epidural rate of 95 percent, an induction rate of 40 – 60 percent, a cesarean rate of 30 – 50 percent, and where episiotomy is routine for the vast majority of first-time moms.
In light of my unique and extensive experience assisting with natural birth, and also assisting women with hypnosis for natural childbirth, and as an experienced hypnotherapist, I would like to clarify some misconceptions that many have about hypnosis and its use in childbirthing. The most common misconceptions are, that hypnosis is merely another method of coping with pain or that it's pain management, or that hypnosis is just flowery guided imagery delivered in a monotone voice that induces deeper relaxation than other methods, or that hypnosis distances a woman from her body during her baby's birthing and denies her basic physiological responses that others create through enduring pain, or that women won't remember their baby's births, or that moms must lie still and listen intently to hypnosis recordings…their birthings entirely scripted, for hypnosis to be of any use. None of these assumptions are true of real self-hypnosis, deepened to the level of somnambulism, which is the depth of hypnosis that one must achieve to create an anesthesia effect in the body.
When a birthing woman is profoundly relaxed and deeply in a state of self-hypnosis, she responds to pre-programmed post-hypnotic suggestions so profoundly that her body creates endorphins, seratonins, melatonins and other relaxing hormones and stress-reducing brain chemicals. This happens automatically and all the smooth muscles in her body, all the muscles controlled by the autonomic nervous system relax so powerfully, that there is a physiological response that is perceived by the woman as a lessening of physical sensations, or a profound diminishing of discomfort, and for the majority of them the elimination of pain entirely. Hypnotherapists call this phenomenon, "hypno-anesthesia".
It's common knowledge among those who teach clinical hypnosis for medical purposes, that hypnosis can slow pulse and respiration rates, and lower blood pressure, and eliminate pain entirely. Doctors and dentists use this type of hypnotic conditioning with their patients to create "hypno-anesthesia" for their patients who are allergic to medical anesthesia. These doctors and dentists perform surgeries with no medical anesthesia, with no pain and no side-effects.
Hypnobabies eyes-open childbirth hypnosis teaches the same medical self-hypnosis techniques that doctors and dentists use for their patients who cannot have medical anesthesia. Women listen to hypnosis scripts to learn a cue to instantly enter self-hypnosis, and how to deepen it to the level of somnambulism in order to create an anesthesia effect in their bodies. Hypnobabies mothers experience their contractions as "only pressure" or a pressing down sensation, or even like being squeezed or hugged tightly. Many of the women I have assisted have described the sensation of their contractions as being very much like the sensation of a tight blood pressure cuff…intense, even sometimes mildly uncomfortable, but not automatically painful.
Hypnobabies moms learn to create hypno-anesthesia at the drop of a finger, literally. They learn to deepen their ability to do so by listening to a script designated to this purpose. Then with practice and by listening to other scripts, these women learn to strengthen the effects of this hypno-anesthesia in their bodies. They regularly practice scripts with their birth partners during their pregnancies to instill these skills as an automatic response to the sensations of their contractions when their labor begins. Through repetition and the resulting compounding effect, women learn to do all of this with their 'eyes open' so that they can move around and respond to their birthing body's cues and their baby's cardinal movements.
Hypnobabies moms learn ONLY their self-hypnosis techniques and relaxation deepening cues by listening to, and practicing with, their hypnosis scripts. Their BIRTHINGS are NOT scripted, nor are their individual contractions. No one could script a birthing since no two are alike. If someone were to see a Hypnobabies mom in 'eyes-open' childbirth hypnosis, she would look the same as any other birthing woman, with the exception that she could talk to you all the way through her contractions if she wanted to. She could "remain comfortable while moving around and still be in a state of deep hypnosis", with "all the muscles around her baby completely loose, limp, lazy and deeply relaxed", all the while "creating a mental hypno-anesthesia in her body"; actually enjoying…not merely enduring, her baby's birth.
She can recognize and respond fully to the "pressure sensations" of her body bearing down during second stage, experiencing "gentle stretching and pressure as her baby crowns and is being born", turning even more inward to focus MORE intently on the sensations of birthing her baby. A mom in true hypnosis (not one listening to guided imagery scripts which are meant to distance and distract) is never out of touch with reality, she's actually hyper-aware of her process because she is simply tuning OUT, "all the external goings on around her, tuning IN more fully to her body and her baby". Caregivers are often fooled by the mom's observed level of comfort…and often don't even believe a hypno-mom is in labor until they do a vaginal exam, when they very often discover that she is in late first stage, nearing time to push her baby out, or even complete!
Besides learning their hypnosis techniques, Hypnobabies couples receive a minimum of 18-hours of thorough preparation for childbirth, over the course of a 6-week series. All hypnosis for childbirth classes are NOT created equal. One stands apart from the others as a thorough preparation for childbirth class. This is the reason that DONA recognizes Hypnobabies as the only hypnosis for childbirth course that meets the DONA certification requirement that doula applicants must observe a complete childbirth class series. For example, Hypnobabies moms learn how to stay healthy and low-risk through exercise and nutrition. Couples learn all of the signs of labor, what constitutes an emergency situation during pregnancy and birthing, and they learn guidelines about when to head for the hospital or to call their midwives to come to them.
They learn all about routine procedures in hospitals, and the risks, the benefits and natural alternatives to each. They learn the questions they'll need to ask in order to create true informed consent. They create their birth preferences based on this information, and based on what they choose for their baby's birthing. Nothing is scripted for them. They have plenty of opportunity to ask questions in classes and to receive answers to their questions about late pregnancy, birth and the immediate postpartum period…including breastfeeding, and newborn characteristics, and much more. They learn from highly trained instructors who must show that they have a background in childbirth education and hypnosis, and be throughly screened, before they can even apply to enroll in a Hypnobabies instructor training. The certification process is rigorous, more thorough than any other preparation for childbirth program that I have been certified to teach, including other birth hypnosis programs.
Hypnobabies moms are not "denied an opportunity to love and trust themselves and their babies", nor are they "denied opportunity for self-discovery and growth" during their preparation for birth, or during the actual birthing process…quite the opposite is true actually. During the script practices, when their birth partners read the script for that week to the mother, the mother relaxes so deeply that she creates endorphins and other stress-reducing brain chemicals that occur only in a state of sleep or deep hypnosis. When this happens, their babies play and bump around so much that we have to add to the scripts, "every movement your baby makes as you listen here to my {the birth partner's} voice, just relaxes you even more". Mothers and their babies quickly learn to associate that happy, relaxing play-time with their birth partner's voice. Because of this opportunity for prenatal bonding, I have seen more than one fretful newborn become instantly peaceful at a word from the birth partner. Our couples see this daily practice session as a time to connect and enjoy bonding with each other and their babies, not as hard work.
By using the kinder and gentler terms we substitute for the words "contraction", "labor", "delivery" and "transition", and by eliminating words that women have been negatively programmed with all their lives via every scary story they've read, or heard, or seen in the media about birth, we eliminate the fear associated with those words and stories. I fail to see how we deny women anything by giving them a sense of confidence through positive reinforcement (affirmations), and positive wording for what should only be a positive event in their lives. We don't teach women to be afraid of pain, they're already afraid of pain. What we do teach them is that they can trust their bodies and be confident that they are capable of giving birth in the manner they choose.
By emphasizing that a woman's "body was created for birthing", that a woman should "go within to find her own power through her baby's birthing", that her baby's physical cues deserve to be responded to during birthing by the mother "being so in touch with her body and so in tune with her baby", and by giving a woman the ability to create comfort in her body at the drop of her finger, we allow her an opportunity to attune more deeply to childbirth's cues than if she were merely coping with pain, or distracting and distancing herself from pain with busy breathing techniques, or traditional other-than-self-directed comfort measures. The more "power that flows through her, the more empowered she feels".
By putting the mother fully in control of her own level of comfort with her self-hypnosis techniques, she is free to use all of her hypnosis techniques in whatever way feels right for her. Some hypno-moms never listen to one script during their baby's birth, preferring to use their instant cues to create deep relaxation and hypno-anesthesia, so they can move around as they wish, while others prefer to listen to CDs and scripts and prompts from their birth partners. They ALL experience all of the thundering power of their baby's birthing, all the intensity, just not all of the pain. Their babies are born in an atmosphere of comfort, joy and love, with endorphins bathing their senses as well as their mother's. Why should it take hours and hours of pain-coping for a woman to build up to an endorphin state when it can be created automatically, instantly with the drop of her finger? I fail to see the superiority of eschewing a comfortable method of creating the endorphin state that is necessary for infant-maternal bonding, just so long as it happens. Most of the moms I have worked with were happy that they were able to do so without discomfort. I can't imagine anyone given the choice, saying, "I choose pain thank you".
As for my experience with being a Hypnobabies-doula exclusively, it's much different and much more rewarding than other doula-ing for me. I prefer to help a woman to be truly physically comfortable during her birthing, not just merely calm and peaceful in the face of pain-coping. It is very rewarding to help a mom achieve her goal of a natural, unmedicated childbirth, and to have her say she was completely comfortable and actually enjoyed the process. I prefer to have tools that really work for my doula clients like the word cue, "release" which instantly helps a mother achieve a deep state of hypnosis and hyper-awareness just by hearing it or thinking it to herself. I love that I can help her to deepen her relaxation instantly, when she asks me to, by simply pressing gently on her shoulder and saying softly, "relax, deeper now". What doula wouldn't?! It's so easy.
That's not to say that I don't also put cool cloths on her face when she's pushing and getting overly warm, or that I don't use aromatherapy to add to the atmosphere of calm in the room, or that I don't suggest different positions to help with the descent of her baby, or that I don't do all the things other doulas do. I do all those things, AND I help mothers use their self-hypnosis tools to have their babies in comfort, joy and love. They tell me that they felt empowered by their ability to create a birthing that was peaceful and comfortable for themselves, and unmedicated and safe for their babies, using 'only' the power of their minds.
I have never had one Hypnobabies mom say, "I would never do that again". All of the couples I have worked with, who have gone on to have more babies, become what I affectionately call, my sweet "repeat-offenders", and most become lifetime members of my family of friends. I love my "work" and I am richly rewarded. It's SO EASY to be a Hypnobabies-doula.
This article is respectfully submitted by,
Carole Thorpe
Yours in gentle, natural birthings…
500 sweet babies and counting!
Carole Thorpe, VP Hypnobabies
Hypnotherapist (NGH), Hypnobabies Birth Assistant
Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor
Lactation Educator/Counselor (UCSD)
CPR for the Professional Rescuer (Red Cross)
Neonatal Resuscitation (AAP & AHA)
Homeopath, Reiki Practitioner
Happiest Baby on the Block Instructor
BIRTH PARTNER Professional Services
949.521.1980 cell
Mission Viejo, CA


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Impeachment of Obama for Abuse of Power-Ongoing News
Rob Meltzer
I thought the news was out as of last week, but it is now being reported that the Justice Department was obtaining phone records for the AP in what seems to be part of the attempts to intimidate the media as I described last week. Add the Justice Department to the IRS in terms of administrative organs who seem to be in full use of the administration in abuse of executive power. I did get a call last week from a congressional aid who is also looking into the use of the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau as a private intelligence gathering bureau of the regime, so I expect that we are about to hear more about misuse of the census bureau. It's all unraveling. Impeach Now!


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Next, attach a heart shaped balloon to your dragon … (the heart does remind me of GW2)
We are all creatures of routines. In any MMO you play regularly, there are routines you get into when you log in or out for a session. Maybe you check the auction house, send some materials between alts, check bank/guild logs to see what has happened while you were away, make sure you get your character somewhere 'safe' to log out, make a to-do list for what you want to do in this session, and so on. We can call this housekeeping, meaning habits you get into which will maintain your character/account the way you like it.
It's in the interest of any MMO designer that players build regular habits around the game. For subscription games, it encourages you to keep subbing. F2P games may not charge subscriptions, but they benefit from having regular players if only for the content and marketing they provide for the people who do pay. Also players who log in regularly are more likely to form communities; when you see or hear the same people around every night, you will eventually feel that you are getting to know them even if you never stop to chat.
Daily quests are pretty clever, because they can slot neatly into this need for routine. So you log in and instead of the dailies being part of 'what shall I do this evening?' they are part of the housekeeping instead that you want to finish before you get some 'me time.' I have a good tolerance for daily quests (as long as they don't expect me to do something I really hate) and if nothing else you will become really expert in the geography and spawn patterns of the daily quest areas of WoW. Pandaria has gone rather whole hog with the dailies, of which there are many and for multiple different factions. Which does lead to the risk that if people focus on dailies, they might not have enough time to do anything else.
I like to think people can sort out their own playing schedule, but the lure of 'must complete dailies' can be very strong. Not only that but it's very easy to "log in quickly, just to check auctions" and end up with "while I'm here, might as well play a bit" and daily quests are an easily quantifiable unit of gameplay to plan. So "might as well play a bit" could become "might as well do the cloud serpent dailies."
GW2 takes a very different approach, where the daily appears much more freeform and wrapped up in the sorts of PvE activity people tend to do anyway. Harvest X materials, kill Y mobs, kill Z different types of mobs, complete ZZ dynamic events. I love the requirement to kill lots of different types of mobs – it rewards you for knowing roughly where to find them and encourages you to move around. I am less fond of the dynamic event requirement, because those are random elements and hunting round for DEs can be tedious. So basically, although the daily appears more freeform, if you want to complete it you might have to fit it into your closing set of housekeeping routines (ie. things you need to do before you log off : complete daily quest).
In many ways, the best daily at the moment is the farming one in WoW. You log in and harvest your crops, then plant some more. It doesn't involve fighting other players for scarce mobs, or doing anything onerous (like logging in your lowbie alt on GW2 so you can do lowbie DEs), but there's a routine you can get into. It's no accident that Farmville style games took off in such quantities, they're really good at getting players into habits. It's a lightly gamified version of the crafting/ AH housekeeping that a lot of people do and mostly you're just being trained to log in every day.
It would be stretching things to say that daily quests help games to become more than 3 monthers, and really its better if you can set up your own habits, but getting people into the idea of logging in regularly might play a role in building a more longterm mindset.


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From WKU Public Radio:
WKU Psychology professor Sam McFarland has long been fascinated by individuals who put their lives–and the lives of loved ones–at risk in order to save people of a different race, ethnicity, or religious group. Dr. McFarland has an article that's set to be published in a social psychology journal called "All Humanity is My Ingroup: A Measure and Studies of 'Identification with All Humanity.'"
In his paper, Dr. McFarland describes the idea of "identification with all humanity" as the ability to view all peoples of the world as part of a sort of extended family, and value the lives of those from different backgrounds equally as those from your own background.
Dr. McFarland recently sat down with WKU Public Radio to talk about his research. Here are some excerpts from our interview:
WKU Public Radio: How did you become interested in the subject of having empathy for people who are different from yourself?
Sam McFarland: "First of all, I became familiar with a number of very heroic examples of people who, during the Holocaust, went out of their way to save Jews from the Nazis. When my wife and I were on an anniversary trip, I read a very interesting book by Kristen Monroe called Heart of Altruism, and she was trying to identify the critical characteristics were of those who risked their own lives and sometimes the lives of their family members to save Jews who were in danger of being killed.
"When she did interviews with those people and interview with others, she discovered the critical characteristics seem to be that they had a sense that all humanity is one family. The feelings transcended nationality, religion, ethnic group, and every other distinction we make about human beings.
"Then I became aware that their were psychologists who had talked about that, such as Alfred Adler and Abraham Maslow. They thought that fully mature human beings transcend the ethnocentrisms that are around them. They care about all humanity–past, present, and future.
"But then I realized that psychology had never really studied this, it had never been measured. So I wanted to see if we could build a rational measure of it, and see if that measure predicts the kinds of things we think it ought to predict. "
Your research paper makes reference to a set of interviews that had been previously done with "Holocaust rescuers"–people who had risked their lives to save Jews during WWII. The interviews found a quality present in the rescuers that became known as "extensivity." What is that, and how does it factor into what you were researching?
"The particular study you're referring to was done by a man named Sam Oliner, and his wife, Pearl Oliner. They had been longtime professors at Humboldt State University in California.
"Sam was a 10-year-old Jewish child in Poland during the war. And when the Nazis came to his town, his step-mother told him to run away from the Germans. And Sam ran away, and he was taken in by a Christian family who taught him how to act as a Christian, and say the catechism, for example.
"He survived the war. When he tried to find his parents afterwards, he found out they both had died.
"A number of years later, Sam and his wife decided to go back to Poland and interview a large number of people who had been rescuers like the woman who had saved him. They tried to do comparison studies with those who, you might say, just stood by and watched things happen without doing anything.
"He found that those who had rescued Jews felt a sense of responsibility towards all people, and a sense of empathy towards all people. The feelings transcended whether they were Catholic, or atheist, or communist, or any other thing. It was just part of a sense of who they were."
Are the characteristics you're talking about, the empathy towards all people—are those innate characteristics? In other words, is this a matter of something you're either born with, or you're not? Can a grown person be taught these sorts of things?
"Those are great questions that we do not have answers to. That's the sort of thing we need to explore and understand.
"Why is it that some people develop a sense of "all humanity is my ingroup", whereas perhaps the majority of people do not? We don't really know.
"I think we can point to certain kinds of pre-cursors. For example, excessive punitiveness and excessive parental neglect are things we know can make a person what Alfred Adler called "self-bound", and much more difficult for that person to care about other people.
"So there are certain things that happen in early childhood that can facilitate (empathy), things like parental affection.
"You raised the question if part of it is possibly just genetics. That's certainly possible. We just simply don't know at this point."
Sam McFarland's article is to be published in a forthcoming edition of The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Listen to the interview here.
Related Situationist posts:
- The Religious Situation of Compassion and Generosity
- The Financial Situation of Empathy
- Can Meditation Make Us More Compassionate?
- God's Situational Effects
- Do Doctors Lack Empathy?
- Racial bias clouds ability to feel others' pain
- Students' Situations Leave Them Less Empathetic (Situationist)
- The Interior Situation of Complex Human Feelings
- The Neuro-Situation of Violence and Empathy
- It's Hard to Step into Someone Else's Shoes
- The Situation of Morality and Empathy
- The Situation of Caring
- New Study Looks at the Roots of Empathy


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Movie review: 'Personal shopper' a moody film with identity crisis, ambiguous ending
In "Personal Shopper," Kristen Stewart plays a lonely stylist to the stars. She zips around Paris on her scooter, darting from one high-end boutique to the next for her celebrity client while mourning the sudden death of her twin brother. The film from writer-director Olivier Assayas is a meditation on grief and loss. And, boy, does it cause a lot of suffering. Woe is us, as "Personal Shopper" proves a rare misfire from Assayas, who directed Stewart to a French César Award for their 2015 film "Clouds of Sils Maria." Lightning doesn't strike twice.
One problem is that the moody "Personal Shopper" has an identity crisis. It doesn't know if it's a ghost story, a cat-and-mouse chiller, a stalker thriller or a girl-on-the-verge drama. It tries to be all those things and the result is as messy as the ectoplasm one specter spews. Sure, it's intermittently gripping, but too often it's a total bore, as the expressionless Stewart repeatedly does her head-down, eyes-averted thing.
When Stewart's Maureen is not shopping at Cartier or Chanel for her famous boss, Kyra (Nora von Waldstätten), she's chasing her brother's ghost. Yup, Maureen sees dead people. The film opens in typical horror-genre style. Maureen spends the night in her late brother's dark, dank suburban Paris abode, where the floors creak and things go bump in the night. She's hoping to contact him from the great beyond. Maureen, an American medium in Paris, is in existential crisis mode. She can't move on from Lewis's (also a medium) death until she receives a sign from him. They share the same heart defect that killed him, and the twins made an oath that whoever died first would send the other the all-clear from the afterlife.
Later, Maureen starts to receive unnerving text messages from an unknown sender. Is it Lewis? Her client's strange boyfriend (Lars Eidinger)? Someone is messing with her mind – and testing our patience. The second half of the film is an endless text exchange. Stewart's thumbs can really act. The conversation kicks off with an "I know you" and proceeds to "tell me something you find unsettling" and then ends with keys to a hotel room and a dead body. In between, Maureen fulfills the strange requests of the mystery texter, such as trying on her client's couture, which is forbidden, but signals her desire to be someone else ... or maybe she just likes fancy designer duds.
Stewart, who after catapulting to stardom in the "Twilight" movies, has found a home in indie cinema. For her part, Stewart is charged with keeping the film afloat. She accomplishes that in spite of having limited interactions with her co-stars, who barely register. Sigrid Bouaziz plays Maureen's sister-in-law. Ty Olwin is the boyfriend Maureen sometimes talks to via Skype. Her client, Kyra, is in two scenes. Kyra's boyfriend (Eidinger) has a bit more to do. But Stewart's most dynamic co-star is the mystery texter, whose identity is never revealed – though you can theorize amongst yourselves. Assayas seems to be channeling M. Night Shyamalan right through the ambiguous ending.
— Dana Barbuto may be reached at email@example.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.
Movie review
PERSONAL SHOPPER(R for some language, sexuality, nudity and a bloody violent image..) Cast: Kristen Stewart, Nora von Waldstätten, Lars Eidinger, Anders Danielsen Lie, Sigrid Bouaziz.
Grade: B-


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Personal Trainer/Fitness Coach - Inverness, Highland
- Employer
- PureGym
- Location
- Inverness, Highland
- Salary
- Competitive
- Closing date
- 13 Apr 2023
View more
- Sector
- Fitness jobs, Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, Self Employed Personal Training
- Job Type
- Full Time
Personal Trainer/Fitness Coach - Inverness, Highland
Can you help us support more than 1 million members get back on track with their fitness goals?
With health, fitness and wellbeing a key priority for many as we reset our lives, we need to ensure the safest possible gym environment for our members, while continuing to deliver what PureGym set out to do from day-one – a great place to work out.
And that's where you come in. We are on a drive to find new Fitness Coaches and Personal Trainers to join PureGym.
You will play a key part in the safe re-opening of our clubs, ensuring members are able to enjoy a great workout, supported by the highest standards of gym hygiene and the most effective use of space available.
Your Roles:
You will be employed by PureGym part-time for 12 hours a week as a Fitness Coach.
Separately, outside of your employed hours as a Fitness Coach, you will be able to use the facilities at the gym you are based in when running your self-employed Personal Training business, giving you an opportunity to meet 1000s of current and new members to help grow your business.
Fitness Coach Role explained:
Your purpose will be to engage with members to ensure the very best fitness experience at PureGym.
As we re-open, this will mean upholding the highest standards of hygiene; encouraging safe behaviours and distance on the gym floor; hosting queues as required and conducting engaging group exercise classes as required and in line with social distancing guidelines.
In return for your hard work, we will reward you with a range of industry-leading benefits to include:
Contracted salary 12 hours contracted per week Annual leave allowance, with an additional day of leave for your birthday Funded First Aid qualification Free Gym Membership for a friend or family member Group Exercise training Management development training programmes.
Personal Trainers at PureGym can expect the following:
Competitive rental agreements – 1st month free Access to insight, advice and free courses and coaching to help you build and run your business Discounted CPD courses with industry experts and insurance Free advertising on the PureGym Website.
If you have a passion for fitness and love helping people achieve their potential and reach their goals, then PureGym is the place for you.
We are looking for Level 3 Personal Training qualified individuals who are determined, driven and passionate to join us on the next steps of our journey.
Please apply ASAP with your CV.
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Brandon Marshall: I don't like the Packers
- Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall says his dislike of the Green Bay Packers is "personal"
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – It has been nearly three months since the Green Bay Packers held Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall to two catches for 24 yards in Week 2.
Marshall has been counting the days to this week's NFC North rematch ever since. At his Wednesday news conference, Marshall called Sunday's game against Green Bay the "biggest game of my career."
It also is one Marshall said he is taking "personal" because he feels Green Bay players, particularly cornerback Tramon Williams and safety Charles Woodson, disrespected him and his teammates, including quarterback Jay Cutler, in September. Green Bay won that first meeting 23-10 at Lambeau Field.
"I don't like the Green Bay Packers. I'm not going to use the word 'hate,' but I really dislike the Packers and their players," Marshall said. "But you know what? The talk has to back it up. We'll go out there and do everything we have to do to get a win."
Marshall declined to say specifically what comments Packers players made after the September game that irritated him so much – "you'll have to go on Google or something," he said – but it was clear he thought Green Bay defensive backs took credit for stopping him one-on-one and thought Marshall got away with being too physical off the line of scrimmage.
"I didn't beat double and triple coverage or whatever they were throwing at me. I take it as a slap in my face when guys are talking about my lack of ability to do something against them when they have help all over the place," Marshall said. "I'm looking forward to one-on-one coverage. Hopefully, those guys, in a game like this, will go to their coach and say, 'Let me have him. I want Brandon Marshall. I want to stop Brandon Marshall.' Let's see what happens."
But, Marshall was asked, wouldn't that be a dumb decision for the Packers, given Marshall's 101-catch, 1,342-yard season, and the Packers' success against him last time?
"I don't know. I mean, the way some people talk is like they did that. I would love their play to back up their talk," Marshall said.
Marshall, who brought a Charlie Brown Christmas tree to use as a prop at his weekly news conference, said he wasn't worried about his comments winding up on bulletin boards inside the Green Bay locker room this week.
Neither is coach Lovie Smith.
"What Brandon Marshall is doing to stimulate our team is his play on the football field," Smith said. "He's performing each week at a high level. Those are the guys that are going to carry us through this last stretch."
The Bears have lost four of their last five games, have lost their lead in the NFC North to the Packers and are reeling heading into Sunday's game at Soldier Field. Smith's team is so stung by injuries this week that he decided to hold just a walk-through practice today rather than a full practice.
Canceling a Wednesday practice is virtually unheard of around the league.
"I think tomorrow will be a little bit better," Smith said.


text:
The odour
Of your departure
Lingers in the air
Your broken promises
Float in front
Of my eyes-
I reach out
And curl my fist
Around a few of them
And desperately shove it
Inside my mouth
But they dissolve
To nothingness
On my tongue
And I'm left
With the taste
Of your sweet lies.
Strength comes knocking
Once in a while
But the heartbreak
That always seems to
Linger just behind
The door,
Pushes it away-
I can hear the thud
As my strength
Hits the front porch
Muttering curses
Under its breath
For ever having tried.
I spend my days
Drinking loneliness
Like whiskey,
Singing haunted songs
To the sky,
Eating poetry for lunch-
For me, now,
Sunday mornings
Will always smell
Like your absence.
-The Girl Lost In The Bookstore
This poem was selected and published by The Anonymous Writer on their website. You can read it by clicking here.
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text:
In 1972, a Las Vegas businessman named Len Frederick introduced a new kind of lunch to cash-strapped schools eager to see their cafeterias turn a profit. Instead of chicken or meatloaf, carrots and a carton of milk, students could eat hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries, and drink milkshakes or soda. All Frederick had to do to square his "combo meals" with national nutrition standards was fortify them with vitamins and add a sprinkle of wheat germ to the buns. Pickles counted as a required vegetable.
As historian Susan Levine recounts in her 2008 book "School Lunch Politics," Las Vegas students lined up eagerly for the new fast-food-style menu, and the schools made money. But in 1978, a food critic found that given the freedom to pick and choose, most children weren't getting the technically nutritious combo — they ended up with a lunch more like "two cinnamon buns and a Coke . . . four sugar cookies and a Sprite, or two bags of French fries and a milk shake."
In hindsight, it's easy to see the Las Vegas innovation as a harbinger of today's fast-food-saturated environment and the nation's childhood obesity problem — now so severe that some doctors predict that today's kids will be the first in two centuries to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.
But back then, American policymakers were more concerned about undernourishing children than with overfeeding them. "Historically, the concern had always been lack of availability of food," said historian Peter Stearns of George Mason University, "and work activities that were physically demanding." As Levine notes, right up until the 1980s government standards set minimums on calories, protein and vitamins in school lunches. But they put no upper limits on calories or fat or sugar or salt.
The widespread alarm about childhood obesity is a relatively recent phenomenon, historians agree. But what's not new is that political and economic interests time and again have trumped science and health concerns in shaping what we feed our kids and, consequently, in shaping our kids' bodies.
In 1933, Labor Secretary Frances Perkins told the country that one-fifth of all preschool and school-age children were "showing signs of poor nutrition" — practically a mirror image of today's warnings that more than 18 percent of children in the United States are obese. Parents had been fretting over undernourishing their children from the start of the century, said Harvey Levenstein, author of "Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in America." "People used to think if your child was chubby it meant they were healthy," he said.
Although U.S. children's health improved through the first half of the century — even during the Great Depression — fear of malnutrition persisted. It was reinforced, Levine said, by reports that "some huge proportion of the young recruits were rejected for service" during World War I because they were too skinny, too weak or otherwise too poorly fed. Scientists began calling attention to vitamins in the 1940s, adding the worry that even those who got enough food could suffer deficiencies in invisible but essential elements.
When the United States entered World War II, the idea spread that with so many women in the workforce, schools needed to take more responsibility for childhood nutrition. Leaders in the new science called home economics worked out the required calories and nutrients for military rations and school lunches.
The first national school lunch program began in 1946, and its chief purpose was to get enough nutrients into American kids. The meals "contained high levels of fat, in order to bump up the calorie content," Levine wrote. They were required to include a serving of butter and to include whole milk and a pudding or other dessert.
The Cold War fostered a renewed and somewhat different drive to make American children strong, said Chin Jou, a Harvard University historian. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the President's Council on Youth Fitness and Sports, an idea endorsed by his famously active successor, John F. Kennedy. The effort to have students run, long-jump, and perform pull-ups and other calisthenics continued through the 1970s. The idea was "to make sure kids were vigorous and healthy," Jou said. "It was a symbol of American democracy wrapped up in how the population looked."
Little did Americans know that their children's fitness would soon face new threats on multiple fronts. One stealthy enemy was created in a government laboratory in Japan, where, around 1970, scientists figured out how to mass produce a new sweetener: high-fructose corn syrup, often abbreviated HFCS.
Because U.S.-subsidized corn was cheap, Jou said, HFCS was less expensive than sugar, and manufacturers were able to sell enormous servings of soft drinks and other sweetened foods for modest prices. To consumers, she said, it looked like a "great deal."
One reason the consumers may not have realized that it was a bad deal health-wise was that the public health community was focused not on sugar but on fats — warning Americans against eggs, cheese, cream and meat. In 1977, Sen. George McGovern's Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs issued guidelines urging a major reduction in fats and an increase in complex carbohydrates.Industry responded with an array of low-fat and fat-free products: cake, cookies, bread, ice cream and beverages.
Americans did cut down proportionally on fats but, ironically, they started to get fatter — " much fatter. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that rates of obesity in children and adults, which had been climbing through the '70s, started to shoot upward around 1980. For children, obesity tripled from about 5 percent in 1980 to about 15 percent in 2000.
Although Harvard's Jou noted that there was "no one culprit or explanation" for the startling rise, Gary Taubes, author of "Good Calories, Bad Calories," emphasizes the effect of the anti-fat campaign. With eggs and bacon off the menu, he argued, many Americans ate more cereal and other foods high in carbohydrates. Furthermore, the new low-fat substitutes were often laden with high-fructose corn syrup and starch. Portion sizes grew.
At the same time, schools all over the country were allowing vending machines into their hallways, and cafeterias were coming to resemble shopping-mall food courts. Part of the reason was financial: They attracted paying students. Fast-food and soda companies also offered funding in exchange for adding their logos to, say, football scoreboards. But such contracts "turned out to be a bargain with the devil," said Kelly Brownell, a Duke University expert on obesity. Add in the aggressive food advertising on television and online, he said, and kids of the 1980s and '90s faced a "toxic food environment."
Behind all the food issues was another threat to fitness: Children were getting less exercise. For reasons including suburban sprawl and safety concerns, fewer students were walking and biking to school. Many schools cut out physical education and reduced recess time. "Atari and Nintendo and the Internet exacerbated that," Jou said.
By the time first lady Michelle Obama launched her "Let's Move" campaign in 2010, it was almost impossible for anyone paying attention to be unaware of the crisis. The attention has had some effect, with recent studies showing the first signs of a leveling off of childhood obesity. But the battle is far from over.
On the bright side, Brownell said, public opinion has turned against industry's marketing of unhealthy foods to children — and that's now clearly understood to include those loaded with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. "The country has agreed that schools should not be a place where predatory food activity should take place," he said.
Changing children's body images
Views of what healthy kids should look like have evolved from fear of malnutrition to awareness of an obesity epidemic:
Chubby-cheeked stars:
The Depression-era "Little Rascals" was an example of the chubby Hollywood ideal at a time when parents' biggest worry about children's weight was undernourishment.
Keeping up with the Russians:
School exercises were encouraged with a Cold War-era goal of physical fitness.
Skinny ideals:
Ultra-thin fashion models strutted runways at the same time American children were growing heavier. The nation's beauty ideal was getting skinnier, and eating disorders became more common.
A new focus:
Public health officials began to focus on childhood obesity as a serious problem.


text:
How to Improve the Rogers Centre Fan Experience
If you've ever been to Walt Disney World, you can fully appreciate why it's been dubbed the "happiest place on earth". Once inside, you truly feel like you're inside the Disney bubble and it's easy to forget it's part of the real world.
From start to finish, the entire Disney experience is pain-free. And since it's such a pain-free environment, people subsequently have no trouble at all opening their wallets since everything is so incredibly convenient.
As I was enjoying the grandiouseness of Walt Disney World, I couldn't help but think that the Rogers Centre could take some notes on how to improve the fan experience at Toronto Blue Jays games.
Personally, I lead a pretty sheltered big league ballpark experience, as Comerica Park is the only other stadium I've been to outside of the confines of the concrete convertible. But even with only 2 of 30 ballparks under my belt, I'd venture to say Toronto isn't one of the most sought after stadiums in baseball.
As great as it would be to just start from scratch and build a new stadium from the ground up, I think we can all agree that won't be happening any time soon. So in the meantime, here are a few ways the Blue Jays can improve upon their fan experience at the Rogers Centre.
Better Food, Better Prices
At Magic Kingdom, there was a baseball themed restaurant that served gourmet hot dogs called "Casey's Corner". There was one hot dog in particular which caught my eye on the menu board which was the Barbeque Slaw Dog.
Casey's features several hot dog concoctions, but none perhaps more enticing than the aforementioned two-meat treat. It's a hot dog topped with pulled pork, coleslaw, and covered in barbeque sauce. It's even more delicious than it looks below.
|Image courtesy of ChipandCo
As I'm sure most of you know, pulled pork is my weakness so I could never not eat anything pulled pork on a menu, but it was fantastic. And I just kept thinking, the Blue Jays desperately need a signature food item like this.
I think the BBQ Chicken Nachos at Muddy York have unofficially become the signature item at the Rogers Centre, but if you've ever ordered them you'll agree the portions are quite underwhelming for $10 dollars.
And that's one of the major problems I have with the food at the Rogers Centre; the value simply is not there. A boiled (not even grilled) hot dog with no specialty toppings on its own is a whopping $5 dollars. No sides, no nothing – just hot dog and bun for $5 dollars.
At $8.59 US, the Barbecue Slaw Dog at Disney World is by no means a bargain, but at least you're getting good value for your money. The hot dog is huge, and you also have your choice of a side of french fries or apple slices.
The hot dog was so big, I actually had to eat some of the coleslaw and pulled pork off the top of the hot dog with a fork first before I could really dig in to the hot dog itself. And they provide you with a myriad of toppings, from onions to shredded cheddar.
Personally, I don't have an issue with paying $5 dollars for a hot dog or $10 dollars for nachos so long as I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. And that's not the case at the Rogers Centre; most grown adults would need to order two or three of those items to have a sufficient meal.
The only really reasonably priced fare at the Rogers Centre is the Tim Hortons coffee, which is surprisingly only $1.50 for a small coffee. Compare that to $5 dollars for a bottle of water, and one can understand why fans constantly bellyache about food price.
I wish there was something like AT & T Park's Garlic Fries or Turner Field's "The Hammer" that would entice people to seek out this signature food item, and then crave it every other subsequent visit to the ballpark.
There needs to be something unique you can eat at the Rogers Centre that you can't eat anywhere else, and that's one area where I think the Blue Jays are severely lacking right now. Maybe now would be a good time to roll out those "Meats Don't Clash Nachos"?
Aramark is the main food distributor at the Rogers Centre, and sometimes I feel like priority number one for them is to pump out as much food as possible,not the quality of food and drink or providing value for your money.
It seems as though it's about the bottom dollar, and merely giving fans just enough to keep them quiet, but not truly satisfied.
Better Beer Selection
|Image courtesy of SteamWhistle.ca
I touched on this in a post from a few years ago, but with the bevy of microbreweries near the Rogers Centre, it only makes sense to serve it at the Rogers Centre.
My suspicion is that the Blue Jays still have some agreement with Inbev (formerly Interbrew), who were former owners of the Toronto Blue Jays, to serve exclusive Interbrew products (Labatt, Budweiser, Keith's, etc).
Recently, I've noticed that the beer selection has branched out in the form of Guinness as well as Vex coolers (ugh), but I can't see why they can't just wheel some kegs of Steam Whistle or Mill Street down to 1 Blue Jays Way.
At other ballparks around the Major Leagues, they showcase these microbrews and craft beers proudly. Because if I'm visiting the Rogers Centre for the very first time, don't I want to sample some local fare rather than the mass-produced beer that's available nearly everywhere?
What exactly is so unique about Budweiser or Bud Light the Rogers Centre when local brews like Steam Whistle or Mill Street do a fantastic job of showcasing local craft beer?
I realize the prices of beer at the Rogers Centre are quite deep, but there's not much that can be done about that. If they're going to charge us nearly $10 dollars for a tall can, the least they can do is give us a choice of great beers.
Crowd Control
|Image courtesy of Canada.com
The other thing I noticed at Disney is their staff is extremely visible. It seemed like no matter where you looked, you would find a cast member who was always more than willing to answer questions or point you in the right direction.
As silly as it sounds, they even had people whose sole purpose it was to direct foot traffic. And often times during a Blue Jays game I've needed to pass through the sea of people and wondered how I'd make it through.
The Rogers Centre could really benefit by simply having ushers on the concourse ensuring the flow of foot traffic is moving along. There are times I've encountered lines that wrap around every which way through the middle and obviously bog down the traffic through the middle.
And not to be a party pooper, but I think that over-serving customers is an issue at the Rogers Centre (much like it is at any establishment that serves alcohol). On numerous occasions, I've been sitting next to people who obviously were inebriated beyond the point of no return, and yet went completely unnoticed.
Yet there are other fans who have supposedly been tossed from games for simply heckling the opposing team. I think so long as they aren't using foul language and not disturbing the folks around them, then they should be allowed to yell all they want.
I realize the security staff only have so many bodies to cover so many sections and their doing the best job they can, but the fan to security ratio is simply way to high. They need more people on the floor to ensure the people who want to enjoy the game are there, and the ones who are simply there to cause trouble are weeded out.
Where is the History?
If you were to walk around the perimeter of the Rogers Centre for the very first time and not look at what the fans outside the dome were wearing, you might not even know you were at a Blue Jays game.
Sure, there's signage and lots of logos strewn around the Rogers Centre, but there's very little if any historical pieces surrounding the ballpark. The same goes for the concourse. Aside from some player photos on the 300 Level, there's not very many historical pieces on the walls of the Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays may be a young franchise compared to others around the league, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some pieces of historical significance at the Rogers Centre.
I often joke with folks on Twitter that there should be a bronze statue of Roberto Alomar's iconic pose with his fingers in the air from Game 4 of the 1992 outside the dome. But in retrospect, that actually might not be a bad idea. The same goes for some sort of Joe Carter monument.
For a team that has won two World Series and five AL East division titles, it's a shame that the Blue Jays don't display their history more prominently around the Rogers Centre.
There's plenty of real estate behind the 100 level outfield seats, so why not install some sort of "Blue Jays wall of fame" back there?
Free Wi-Fi
Considering that Rogers is one of the largest communications providers on the country, it's quite surprising that the Rogers Centre doesn't provide free Wi-Fi for its customers (or at least the option to use Wi-Fi).
As I'm sure you've experienced, the reception inside the dome can be quite spotty sometimes, especially when the roof is closed. Which again is surprising considering Rogers Communications owns the building.
Not that cell reception or Wi-Fi is paramount to watching a baseball game, but with the addition of the Tweeting Tuesdays, the Blue Jays Blackberry Insider and other various social media at your fingertips, it's tough to go the entire game without checking your phone.
Personally, I'm not really one to add something that draws fans eyes away from the the field. And not that cell reception is paramount to watching a baseball game, but folks are going to check their phones regardless during a Blue Jays game.
If that's the case, why not allow the fans free Wi-Fi which in turn will help publicize the Blue Jays across several social media sites?
Only a select few teams in the Major Leagues currently offer free Wi-Fi to their fans, but since Rogers is plastered across the outside of the building, you would think Wi-Fi would be readily available.
Other Things
Many of you tweeted some great suggestions on how to improve the fan experience at the Rogers Centre, and I have to say there were lots of things I hadn't even considered. Some were as simple as bringing back a baseball organ to putting in more water fountains.
It seems like a no-brainer to turn the former Windows restaurant into some sort of "party patio" since for the most part, that part of the park goes unused anyway. If anything, it would at least provide a different vantage point for fans wanting a unique seat.
These are just a few of the many areas in which the Rogers Centre could improve upon. And even if they worked to change just one of these things, it would at least be a step in the right direction.
I'm going the ballpark regardless whether anything changes or not, but some of these issues might be a dealbreaker for some other fans. And if it gets them back to the Rogers Centre, then it will have all been worth it.
Like I said off the top, building a brand new stadium for the Blue Jays simply isn't in the cards right now. The Rogers Centre is the only house the Blue Jays have, so we may as well work with what they've got.


text:
Body found, believed to be missing pregnant woman
Eight days of worrying and waiting for the family of Jessie Marie Davis came
to a heart-breaking end Saturday afternoon when investigators found what
they believe to be her buried remains at a park in Summit County, Ohio.
Two murder charges have been filed against Canton police officer Bobby L.
Cutts Jr., one for allegedly killing Davis and the other for the death of
her unborn daughter, Chloe. Members of Davis' family contend Cutts fathered
the baby, due July 3.
Cutts reportedly contacted Stark County sheriff's deputies early Saturday
afternoon. Investigators then found the body in the Hampton Hills Metro Park
in Akron and notified Davis' family of the discovery about 3:30 p.m.
The remains were in a shallow grave in the park on the southern edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was found in a clearing of a heavily wounded area.
Investigators will not say if they believe anyone helped Cutts in the crime.
But Saturday night sheriff's deputies searched a Canton woman's residence,
seeking clues and seizing DNA evidence, clothing, bedding and cleaning
Davis' family members, who have been visible throughout the week pleading
for help finding Davis, left the sheriff's department before a 6 p.m. news
conference when authorities officially announced the discovery and arrest.
"They're grieving in private," Canton lawyer Rick Pitinii, who has served as
the family spokesman, told a packed meeting room.
"Please leave them alone a little bit," Pitinii said. "They have gone
through an absolute roller coaster of emotions."
Canton Police Chief Dan McKimm acknowledged the incident as a "black eye"
for the city's police department. McKimm said he hoped the public would "not
be so quick to judge the entire police force on the isolated acts of a rogue
Cutts is scheduled for arraignment at 3 p.m. Monday in Canton Municipal
The case remains under investigation, Chief Deputy Rick Perez and Stark
County Prosecutor John Ferrero said during the news conference. More than
once, Perez referenced the continuing investigation as the reason he
couldn't answer questions from reporters.
That included refusing to identify the park where Davis' remains were found.
Perez also would not say specifically if an unborn child was found.
"I am not going to tell you anything about the investigation or how we did
the investigation," Perez told reporters. Details will come out when the
case goes to trial, he said.
Ferrero added: "There's a lot of things that people want to know that we
just can't release at this time."
Davis' story became a national media event after her mother, Patty Porter,
found her missing June 15. Porter had not talked with her daughter since
9:30 p.m. June 13, and went to her Lake Township duplex to find her.
Instead, Davis found her 2-year-old grandson, Blake, at home alone wearing a
dirty diaper. He began repeating phrases, "Mommy was crying," "Mommy broke
the table," and "Mommy in rug."
Porter called sheriff's deputies for help. The department issued a missing
person's report on Davis about 2:30 p.m. June 15, calling her
disappearance "suspicious" and noting that she was nine months pregnant.
Family and friends began issuing fliers and searching Davis' neighborhood
the next day, then began a broader search June 17.
Investigators, meanwhile, began talking with Davis' friends to try to find
out what had happened.
Cutts -- the father of Blake and a boyfriend to Davis -- was one of the first
people contacted and was questioned on the 15th.
His house in Plain Township was searched repeatedly
over the last week. Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team searched a car
at the house Monday. Deputies and more than a dozen FBI agents returned to
the house Wednesday, spent more than four hours searching and left with
hundreds of pieces of evidence.
Throughout the week, Perez refused to label Cutts as a "suspect" in Davis'
In an interview with The Canton Repository on Tuesday, Cutts admitted he would be
naive not to expect investigators to consider him as a suspect. But he also
maintained that he wasn't involved in Davis' disappearance and didn't know
where she was.
As the search for Davis dragged on, family members contacted Texas
EquuSearch, a Houston-based search-and-rescue operation that works with
volunteers to find missing people. More than 1,800 people turned out
Thursday to help with the search, and hundreds more came Friday and
But even as searchers continued to comb fields and woods in Lake Township on
Saturday, word came of the discovery in Summit County.
Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, said he heard the news just before
4 p.m., and helped family members at the Greensburg Fire Department
discreetly leave and head for the sheriff's department.
"It's not the news we wanted to hear," Miller said after the news
Miller started Texas EquuSearch after his own daughter disappeared and was
found dead 18 months later. He knows the pain the Davis family is
experiencing and the questions they are battling.
"There will never be an answer to any of these 'why's' that will satisfy
them," Miller said.
Pitinii said the Davis family is thankful for the support and concern shown
by the public and volunteers who helped in the search.
"I think this whole process has been about finding (Jessie)," Pitinii said.
When a reporter asked what people now could do for the family, Pitinii
replied: "I think they would ask for your continued support and prayers."
Canton Repository staff writers Joe Gartrell, Jonas Fortune, Todd Porter, Melissa
Griffy-Seeton and Bob Russ contributed to this report.
Reach Canton Repository writer Edd Pritchard at (330) 580-8484 or e-mail:


text:
Today's Music: The Fratellis – Flathead
Days Til Spring: 77
There! In the distance, arising like a golden sore on the face of all that is sane! Do you see it? Can you feel it? Does it smell good? (Only it's body-hair-sculptor knows for sure.)
What can it be??? Why…why…it's the Friday Foolishness!!!
Here's how this works. I ask the stupidest question I can think of (because lets face it, there really are such things as stupid questions), and you guys either pick an answer, or write in your own in the Other field. If you do, leave your handle, and I'll link back to you when I post the answers ahead of the next poll, on alternating Fridays (or random tuesdays, when the mood strikes me). Someone might even win!
There will be some fun, a couple of videos that amused me, and of course, a song. But there's always a song, so never mind that.
Oh, and I'll babble a bit. As I tend to do.
I think in the 100+ polls I've ran, I've deleted a handful of answers, so feel free to say just about anything you want. Just remember, it's a family blog. So leave your brother alone. He's a little sensitive. But keep it under 4 answers, so it doesn't look like we're in cahoots. (I'm 17 years cahoots free!)
We've all just celebrated the new year. But New Years Eve fell on a tuesday this year. Which got me thinking, Tuesday is a pretty good day for a celebration, so lets keep it up all year!
But how will we celebrate it? Well, that's this weeks poll. Get your answers in by 2359 EST, Friday, 10 Jan.
You've got 8 days, so no excuses.
And while you all ponder that, I'll leave you with these.
First, that marvel of technology, the washing machine!
And finally, what the hell, let's stick with bears. An oldie but a goodie.
(It's a bit potty mouth)
Have a great weekend everyone!